BBC iPlayer brings new features to mobile and TV, you can now start a live show from the beginning

The BBC is in the processing of pushing out updates to its TV, set-top-box and mobile applications that add a few key new features, with different new abilities coming to different platforms.

One of the key new features is Live Restart, which is rolling out on connected TV platforms from today, 19 August. When selecting a live broadcast from one of the BBC channels, the feature gives you the option to either watch the show as is or start from the beginning if you've jumped on board a little late.

That way you don't have to wait until the show has been added to iPlayer as catch-up just because you've missed its scheduled time by five minutes.

BBC

The feature will also be coming to other devices, include the Xbox One soon. And mobile platforms will eventually get it too, although there are other priorities in the interim for devices such as iPad, iPhone and Android tablets and phones.

Mobile devices get a different new feature which is starting to roll out. My Programmes is a new section that was soft launched on the iPlayer website recently and is now ready to be introduced on a wider scale.

It gives users a section of the app - Watching - where part-viewed shows and episodes can be resumed straight away without having to search for them across the platform. And when an episode has been finished, it automatically adds the next one in this list to make things more easy to find.

A users Favourites list can also now be found in the My Programmes section, along with the new Watching menu.

The final big new feature coming to mobile and computers is the ability to pause and resume across different devices. For example, you can watch a show on your laptop and then carry on from where you left off on your smartphone.

The BBC is also adding audio described versions of all programmes across all versions of the BBC iPlayer app.

The new features that are mobile-centric will eventually come to TV and set-top-boxes and vice versa as the experience becomes more unified.

Another new feature that was added for some connected TV and STB devices is the ability to choose a default picture quality in the main settings rather than having to select "HD" or "SD" at the bottom of a video as it starts to play. If set to the highest quality, the app will present the best images depending on the internet connection being used at the time.

All features will be rolled out from today but might take a few days or weeks to reach every device.